2014-15 Coaching Staff

Steve Clifford

Head Coach

Steve Clifford is in his second season as head coach after joining the franchise on May 29, 2013. In his first season in Charlotte, he led the team to a 43-39 record and the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Under Clifford’s leadership, the team experience a 22-win improvement from the previous season, becoming the first franchise in NBA history to double its win total from the previous season in two consecutive seasons and the 13th team in NBA history to eclipse its win total from the previous two seasons combined. In addition, the club ranked fourth in the NBA in points allowed (97.1) in 2013-14, after ranking 29th in 2012-13 (102.7), holding its opponents under 100 points 53 times, up from just 30 the year before.

Clifford has over 29 years of coaching experience at the NBA and collegiate level, including 13 seasons as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers.

Clifford came to Charlotte after spending the 2012-13 season as an assistant coach for the Lakers, first under Mike Brown and then under Mike D’Antoni. Prior to the Lakers, Clifford spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Magic from 2007-12. As a member of Stan Van Gundy’s staff, he helped the Magic to a 259-135 record (.657) and five straight playoff appearances, including a trip to the 2009 NBA Finals. The team won 50 games or more in four straight seasons from 2007-11, winning three consecutive Southeast Division titles (2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10).

Before going to Orlando, Clifford spent four seasons as an assistant coach under Jeff Van Gundy with the Rockets from 2003-07. He began his NBA career with the Knicks, serving as the team’s advance scout in 2000-01 before moving to the bench as an assistant coach from 2001-03.

Prior to the NBA, Clifford spent 15 years coaching at the collegiate level, including four years as head coach at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. Clifford posted a record of 86-36 (.705) at Adelphi, leading the school to four straight 20-win seasons and four straight appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. His winning percentage remains the second best of the 12 head coaches in the program’s 65-year history.

Clifford began his college coaching career at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, where he spent four seasons as an assistant coach. He then served as an assistant coach for one year at Fairfield University, four seasons at Boston University and one season at Siena University before becoming the head coach at Adelphi from 1995-99. Clifford also spent one season as an assistant coach at East Carolina University in 1999-2000 before moving to the NBA.

Clifford’s first coaching experience came at Woodland High School in Maine, where he coached for two seasons after graduating from the University of Maine at Farmington with a degree in special education. He played four years for the Beavers, being named Best Defensive Player in his final two seasons while serving as team captain.

Patrick Ewing

Associate Head Coach

A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, Patrick Ewing is in his second season with the organization as associate head coach. Ewing brings nine years of experience as an NBA assistant coach to Charlotte, having previously served as an assistant with the Washington Wizards (2002-03), Houston Rockets (2003-06) and Orlando Magic (2007-12). Ewing worked alongside Head Coach Steve Clifford in both Houston and Orlando. As assistant coaches on Stan Van Gundy’s staff, they helped the Magic to a 259-135 record (.657) and five straight playoff appearances, including a trip to the 2009 NBA Finals.

The first overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft, Ewing played in 1,183 games during a 17-year career that included 15 seasons with the New York Knicks and one season each with the Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic. He averaged 21.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocked shots and 1.9 assists in 34.3 minutes. Ewing also appeared in 139 playoff contests, averaging 20.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists in 37.5 minutes. In 1996, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

After being named 1985-86 NBA Rookie of the Year, Ewing went on to play in 11 NBA All-Star Games, including 10 consecutive appearances from 1988 through 1997. He was named First Team All-NBA in 1989-90 and Second Team All-NBA six times (1987-88, 1988-89, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1996-97). Ewing also earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors three times (1987-88, 1988-89 and 1996-97) and captured two Olympic gold medals as a member of the U.S. men’s national team (1984, 1992).

Ewing enters the 2014-15 season ranked sixth in NBA history in career blocked shots (2,894), ninth in defensive rebounds (8,855) and 20th in scoring (24,815). He also ranks among the NBA’s career leaders in field goals (9,702, 13th), field goal attempts (19,241, 17th), total rebounds (11,606, 24th), free throws (5,392, 24th), free throw attempts (7,289, 24th), minutes played (40,594, 26th), offensive rebounds (2,751, 32nd) and games played (1,183, 37th).

Prior to the NBA, Ewing played four seasons at Georgetown University, where the Hoyas amassed a 121-23 record and reached the finals of the NCAA Tournament three times, winning the 1984 National Championship. He was named First Team AP All-America in each of his last three seasons and earned AP and Naismith Player of the Year honors as a senior in 1984-85.

Ewing is the proud father of five children.

Stephen Silas

Assistant Coach

Stephen Silas is in his fourth season with the organization and 14th as an NBA assistant coach after joining the team’s coaching staff on December 26, 2010. Silas came to Charlotte after spending the previous four and a half seasons as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. Prior to joining the Warriors, Silas served as an advance scout for the Washington Wizards during the 2005-06 season.

Silas also spent five seasons as an assistant coach under his father, Paul Silas, with the original Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets (2000-03) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-05). Silas, who joined the original Hornets in the summer of 1999 as an advance and college scout, was promoted to assistant coach on June 5, 2000, making him the youngest assistant in the NBA at that time at 27 years old.

Silas has also served as a Summer League head coach for New Orleans (2002), Cleveland (2003) and Golden State (2010). In addition to his work with NBA teams, Silas coached at the 2003 and 2007 NBA Pre-Draft camps and the 2011 adidas EuroCamp in Treviso, Italy. Internationally, Silas has worked at camps and clinics across the globe to help promote the game of basketball and the NBA in locations including Germany, South Africa and South Korea.

The Boston native graduated from Brown University in 1996, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sociology and management and played four seasons for the Bears basketball team. Upon graduation, Silas spent three years as the assistant executive director of the National Basketball Retired Players Association in Providence, Rhode Island.

Silas and his wife, Keryl, were married in 2002 and have two daughters, Kyler Elyse and Kaelyn.

Bob Weiss

Assistant Coach

Bob Weiss is in his second season as an assistant coach. He brings 33 years of coaching experience to Charlotte, including 30 at the NBA level.

Weiss, who spent last season as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks, has been a head coach on four occasions, compiling a 223-299 career record (.427) with the San Antonio Spurs (1986-88), Atlanta Hawks (1990-93), Los Angeles Clippers (1993-94) and Seattle SuperSonics (2005-06). Along with last season in Atlanta, his tenure as an assistant coach includes stops with the San Diego Clippers (1977-80), Dallas Mavericks (1980-86), Orlando Magic (1989-90) and SuperSonics (1994-2005).

In 2008, Weiss became the first former NBA head coach to be a head coach in China, where he spent one season leading the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons (2008-09) and one season with the Shandong Lions (2010-11). His experiences were chronicled in the book, “Brave Dragons: A Chinese Basketball Team, an American Coach and Two Cultures Clashing,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jim Yardley.

Prior to coaching, Weiss played 12 seasons in the NBA. The 22nd overall pick in the 1965 NBA Draft, he averaged 7.6 points, 3.7 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 783 career games for the Philadelphia 76ers, Seattle SuperSonics, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Buffalo Braves and Washington Bullets. Weiss also saw action in 53 playoff games, including winning the 1967 NBA Championship with the 76ers.

Weiss earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Penn State, where he was named Honorable Mention AP All-America as a senior in 1965. He and his wife, Tracy, have two children, Stuart and Grace, and recently added Quentavious Watts to their family. He also has two older daughters, Jessica and Angela.

Pat Delany

Assistant Coach

Pat Delany is in his first season as an assistant coach, joining the Hornets in July 2014 after spending the 2013-14 season as head coach of the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the NBA D-League.

In his lone season in Sioux Falls, Delany lead the Skyforce to a 31-19 record, finishing tied for the second-best record in the D-League and posting the fifth-best winning percentage in the franchise’s 25-year history.

Before being named head coach of the Skyforce, the D-League affiliate for the Miami Heat, Delany spent 11 seasons with the Heat, including six seasons as advance scout (2007-13) and four as video coordinator (2003-07). He started with the Heat in 2002-03 as a video intern.

Prior to the Heat, Delany spent part of the 2001-02 season as a video intern for the Boston Celtics and spent five summers as a basketball camp counselor at places including the University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame and his alma mater, Saint Anselm College.

Delany played four seasons at Division II Saint Anselm, where he finished his career as the school’s all-time leader with 731 assists and graduated with a degree in business administration.

Delany and his wife, Jackie, have two children, Rylan and Lila May.

Steve Hetzel

Assistant Coach

Steve Hetzel is in his first season as an assistant coach, joining the Hornets in June 2014 after spending the 2013-14 season as head coach of the Canton Charge in the NBA D-League.

Hetzel led the Charge to a 28-22 record, finishing second in the East division and posting the second-best record in the team’s history.

Before moving to Canton, Hetzel spent four seasons with the Detroit Pistons as player development coach. In that role, he was responsible for identifying individual strengths and weaknesses, creating a specific progression plan and monitoring players’ growth throughout the season. During his time with the Pistons, three players received All-Rookie honors, including Jonas Jerebko (2010 Second Team), Greg Monroe (2011 Second Team) and Brandon Knight (2012 First Team)

Prior to the Pistons, Hetzel spent three seasons as video coordinator for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2006-09), after getting his start in the NBA as assistant video coordinator for the San Antonio Spurs in 2005-06

Hetzel is a 2005 graduate of Michigan State University, where he earned his bachelor’s in kinesiology with a specialization in coaching and served as a student manager for Tom Izzo’s men’s basketball team.